Hazel's Birth Story - Part Three

If you missed them, check out parts one and two before reading on.  

My husband and I continued to casually chat between contractions.  The only thing I didn't love about being in that luxurious tub is that it was situated in the corner in such a way that I felt far away from my love.  He really had to lean in order to take a hold of my hand.   I wished he could whisper comforting things to me during contractions like he has done in the past.

Finally the contractions began to pick back up a little bit, but they were still irregular and unpredictable.  The nurse came back in to quickly monitor the baby's heart beat, which stayed strong and steady throughout the night, and she kindly showed me how to turn on the jets.  Women in labor don't have the patience to figure out such contraptions on their own. ;-)  She also ran some more hot water for me since it had cooled considerably.   Did I mention I really loved my l&d nurse?

By the time I settled back into my bubbling bath, my mom was back from her errand and I could hear her, My Stud, and the kids in my room (the door to the bathroom was shut).  She was getting them snacks, and getting ready to take them out to the lobby.  Earlier Princess had shown considerable concern regarding the birthing process, so we felt that it was best for them to wait where they wouldn't be able to hear me scream.   Screaming felt a long way off though.

I got on my knees and hung my arms over the front of the tub to give my back a break.  The buoyancy of the water was nothing short of amazing.  When hubby came back into the room, I asked him to help my mom get the kids out to the lobby asap, because I was worried about Princess hearing me moan through some suddenly-more-hefty contractions.  As soon as he stepped out the most powerful contraction yet ripped through my abdomen, requiring all my willpower to stay quiet.  I could noticeably feel my cervix stretch.  As soon as I could speak, I called him back and informed him in no uncertain terms that he had better not leave after all...but for heaven's sake scoot the kids out.  My arms fell asleep hanging over the tub like that, so I settled back into a seated position and turned off the jets as they had suddenly become annoying.

That's when we called the nurse to get the midwife, Nikki. 

I had a couple more contractions in the meantime.  Once Nikki arrived, I asked her to check me.  Surely I was getting pretty close.  The tub had really slowed things down, but it couldn't be much longer since I was an 8 when I got in.  I had been in the tub for just over an hour.

12:45 a.m.  Nikki smiled and sort of looked at me sideways.  "She's just waiting for you to push her out."

"What!?"

"Feel for yourself.  Her head is right there."

Her head hadn't quite crowned but was about two inches from doing so. 

Then we entered a discussion about whether or not my water had broken.  It hadn't.  They thought perhaps I had missed it while the jets were on.  I assured them I had not and informed them that in the past my water has always broken right at the end.  In fact, I could feel that the bag of waters was still in tact when I felt my baby's head.

Then we took a celebratory photo of me ready to push out a baby - legs crossed, feet propped, arms folded across my chest.  As if I were lounging on the beach.  Except my eyes looked a little weary.  And I was naked. 

"I don't feel like I need to push."  I was still reeling from the shock:  How did I miss transition?   It must have been that awful contraction and the ones following it.

"You can do whatever you want.  That's what is so great to me about water births.  You do everything and I pretty much just get to witness you birth your own baby, and then I pull her out of the water."  Nikki had rad water birthing gloves that extended all the way to her shoulder.

Next we discussed what happens after the baby is born.  "After she's born we'll wait for the first gush of blood.  Then at the first gush of blood, you'll get out of the tub and go to bed.  We'll deliver the placenta on the bed."  Got it.

I was still smiling between contractions which I only know because there are photos to prove it.
"I'll push with the next contraction."  It felt strange and awkward to do so since I didn't yet feel the urge to push.

Contraction one: she crowned.   Now I felt the urge to push. 

12: 53 a.m. Contraction two: my water broke while I was pushing.  Another push or two and I almost got her head out...but didn't.   I made a mental note that the pushing part seemed like more work in the buoyancy of the water.  Where's gravity when you need it?  I also noted that the water in the tub was still perfectly clear and lovely, and that I was doing an excellent job of keeping my perfectly straightened hair from getting wet.  Important stuff you know.

Contraction three: I screamed like I was at death's door, and I gave it everything I had.  (I actually bruised the back of my head from pushing it so hard into the back edge of the tub while scream pushing.)  I love the excitement in my My Stud's voice when he sees our child's head emerge.  And once her head was out, her body slid out easily, but painfully, with one final push.

12: 55 a.m.

Nikki quickly lifted her out of the water and handed her to me.  My first thoughts were that I'd never seen a baby covered with so much vernix.  And she looked nothing like either of her sisters.  And she had so much hair!   My first words may have been, "Gosh that hurt."  But I might have said, "Hiiiiii baby" before that.  We'll never know.  In our birth photos, my face supports the former, so that was probably it.  Then I finally smiled.   And double checked that she was indeed a girl.

I couldn't hold my baby very close to my chest because her umbilical cord was a little on the short side, so my husband cut it a smidge sooner than we otherwise would have so that I wasn't yanking on the placenta.  Then came the first gush of blood so we moved to the bed to finish up while the nurse diapered and swaddled our wee little one.

 

Like with Smooch, delivery of the placenta went w/o a hitch but I spent the next half hour or so having my uterus punched repeatedly by medical personnel I used to like massaged and blood loss measured because I was borderline bleeding too much.  So I got whatever meds they give a person for that, begged for heavy pain killers, and got those too.  The staff can compliment me all they want regarding labor and delivery but I am a big sissy when it comes to after labor pains.  (Pssst!  What they say is true:  the after labor uterine contractions get worse with each kid.  Something about it having to work a little harder each time to return to normal size...)  Thankfully, I did not experience any tearing though.

Soon our little big late-night troopers got to come meet their little sister.  And I'm telling you, there were fireworks.

At 6 lbs. 13.2 oz. and 20 inches, Hazel was born our smallest baby yet.  And she had the most hair. 

I could not get over the awesomeness of having a queen-sized bed because I got to keep the same room for the duration of our hospital stay. :-D  (I also got a complimentary 15-minute postpartum massage!  This place is cool, right!?)

So now we're a family of five, which I love.

And isn't there something so precious about seeing a big tough guy tenderly falling in love with his newest little princess?  There is also something ridiculously attractive about seeing your husband in action as a veteran dad.  He was and is so wonderful with Hazel.

Some final thoughts about water birth:

I still can't get over how much being in the water relieved the pain of contractions, though the agony of birth itself was still just as real.  I truly didn't recognize transition for what it was.  I also can't believe how much and how instantly labor slowed down when I got in the water.  (That is not a typical experience, I have since learned.) I believe Hazel would have been born on the fourth instead of the fifth if I had not used the tub.  However, it was hands down completely worth having a slightly slower labor in order to experience that great of pain relief.  Should there be a baby #4 in our future, I would certainly seek another water birth.

More than the water birth experience itself, I was so impressed with and so thankful for the respectful way in which my husband and I were both treated at this particular hospital.  With our third child, I was finally allowed to labor the way that I wanted to without "routine interventions."  Because of that, my labor was extremely peaceful.

Any lingering water birth questions?  I'd be happy to answer them regarding my personal experience. :-)